


The Laws of Ma'at and Turing

by felicia_angel



Series: Dragontamers [6]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Ancient Egypt, Blood and Gore, F/M, Gen, It gets a bit weird folks, M/M, Millennium World Arc, Near-complete rewrite, Noa Arc, Original Character(s), Violence, Virtual World
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-04-11 17:03:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4444529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felicia_angel/pseuds/felicia_angel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fifth and Final Part of Dragontamers - Yami Yugi and the others are drawn into the past, or a recreation of the past, as Yami works to regain his name and understand his role in the return of the Shadows, or what else will occur should this happen. Meanwhile, Kaiba and the others go in search of Katsuye and Mokuba, only to find themselves back in the Virtual World, with Kaiba learning more about his adoptive father and the sinister reason for his adoption.</p><p>Technology or magic are poised to destroy the world. Can the two fight the evils of their past that they now face, and save the ones who represent their future?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Weighing of the Heart

_"What you have to remember," said Mr. Ibis, testily, "is that life and death are different sides of the same coin. Like the heads and tails of a quarter."_

_"And if I had a double-headed quarter?"_

_“You don’t. Those only belong to fools, and gods.”_

-          American Gods, _Neil Gaiman_

 

Yami isn’t sure what to say to the woman that had been called Layla Naunet. He only vaguely recalls who she was to him in his past life, and while he’s not surprised by the confirmation that he’s not a true, full spirit, but instead only a part of the spirit of someone she’d known, he’s more afraid for Yugi than he is for himself.

The chimera is still circled around Yugi, keeping him trapped from everyone as Layla and Shadii seem determined to face each other down, Bakura and Anzu to one side and looking unable to really move from where they are while the Ishtars remain behind himself and Ishizu. He can guess the reason for Marik’s fear of his power now - after being so consumed by his hatred and a corrupting darkness, it can be hard to regain your confidence. Not to mention that Yami is convinced Marik’s mentality has regressed a bit.

Yami can feel the continue gathering of the Shadows as well, and that only makes him more aware of the fact that Layla is obviously hiding a few other connections to strong Shadows that have been with her for a while. He doesn’t see them nearby, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t close enough to be called to stop the others as well. Shadii’s own powers were causing a great deal of agitation among the Shadows, and it was obviously upsetting to both Bakura and Marik. It only makes Yami call up the Shadows to him instead, pulling them out as the Wadjet eye blares brightly on his forehead and he sees the chimera around Yugi almost back away submissively. The build-up of Shadows, the darker ones from the Duel that ended with him and Yugi being separated, and now with Shadii calling them to try to gain control, or start some sort of ritual, was beginning to swirl more and more. He saw Anzu try to hide from the sudden kick-up of wind as Bakura looked over at Shadii and Layla with a glare, his own power flaring up and, in response, Yami’s power picking up.

The chimera backed away so quickly that it was almost too fast to see, and Yugi raced over to Yami’s side as something seems to shift, Yami having the odd sensation of falling up instead of down, seeing Yugi reach for him as the Shadows began to swirl more and more, as if picking everything up and began to pull at it.

"Yugi!" Yami yelled out, the two reaching out and nearly grasping each other's hands before they finally managed it. The Shadows became darker and deeper as the sensation of being swept away and falling continued, Yami pulling Yugi in and holding onto him as Yugi wrapped his arms around him, the two falling up and around in the odd maelstrom created by the Shadow's being called to protect or fight or participate in whatever the ritual was to regain his memories.

 _But then what?_ Yami wondered as he looked over to see Anzu, Bakura, and the Ishtars attempting to hold on, Marik's forehead missing the Wadjet Eye while Ishizu's and Bakura's blazed with it. Yugi manages to let go long enough to reach out to Anzu, pulling the group together as Yami, Bakura, and Ishizu work to try to at least keep them from faltering in the storm.

Just as suddenly as the world turned to throw them upwards, they're suddenly controlled by gravity again, and plunge downward, falling faster and faster as the sky clears and they see a desert landscape with a long, huge green snake running down it and fanning out as it reaches the blue of a sea on the other side of the world. The wind suddenly picks up in force, almost as if pushing ad punching and pulling at them, and with a sudden pull and sickening punch, Yami's grip on Yugi is lost, and he can only watch as they all helplessly fall away from each other and down, heading quickly towards the ground.

\--

He blinks awake and frowns, looking up at the ceiling and the way the slight breeze plays against the linen covers over his bed. It’s quiet, too quiet, and he almost wants to figure out _why_ the quiet is bothering him when it never did before as he sits up, stretching slightly as he looks out to where the sun is about to begin it’s rise.

As he slowly opens the curtains, looking out to see the room he’s in, he stops and blinks at the change around him. The gold is still there, as are the ornate colors and depictions of his father’s many great deeds, and those of his forefathers, stretching back to Osiris when he was the Pharaoh, ruling alongside Isis and bringing the people agriculture and _ma’at._ But something about it is different too, and he slowly stands to walk over to the golden box that he’d not noticed before. It’s so surprising to see it there, as if it holds all the secrets that Ibis could not find, and he starts to open it when a soft sound makes him turn, looking over at the doorway as someone walks in.

_WHAT?_

The surprise makes him put a hand to his head, the woman looking at him with some concern before speaking. “Are you alright, Pharaoh?”

“You are never so formal when we are simply in the rooms and alone,” he mutters, removing his hand from his forehead as he smiles at the woman. Her hair was still long and almost as wild as the _swt_ she commanded, her dress short but dyed to show some of her status, and the huge, dark tattoo of what appeared to be gold and scars stretching across her chest and collar, the feathers and designs that of the sacred protector of the Pharaoh. Tawny eyes looked over him worriedly before she gave him a small smile.

“Of course, but you must remember, today is important. I think a small be of formality is required, no matter who I might be to you.”

“I still think you needn’t use it, but if we are to be so formal, Sakhmet, then I suppose that is required of me.” He walked over to her, putting a hand to cover hers as she looked at him for a long moment. “I had a very strange dream.”

She smiled at him before there was a polite knock, and a tall man entered, his skin bronzed and his eyes an odd, brilliant blue color that made him seem to remember someone else like that, only they were paler, with their head uncovered and wearing something else, not the robes of a priest and the certainly not wielding the Rod.

“What is wrong, my sebah?”

“Sakhmet, you should not be so informal with--.”

“I am fine,” he says after a sigh, rubbing away the pain and wondering if, perhaps, he shouldn’t speak to a physician about the headaches. “Simply a headache, though perhaps I should figure out what this is before we continue with the ritual.”

The tall priest frowned, crossing his arms and looking serious in a way that was almost playful. “You do not get to use that as an excuse today, Pharaoh. We are now seven, with the Pendant you command as well as the power you have over the Shadows. It is _vital_ this happens today.” He gave a small smile that vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared. “Would you really do me the dishonor of postponing the ritual over a small thing?”

“If it’s a sign of something more serious…” Sakhmet started, but he shook his head, finally clearing it of the odd dream, even if the strange feeling didn’t leave.

“I will see the physician, but the headache and dreams will stop me from conducting business and allowing the ritual to continue this day. We won’t have another chance for at least a year, Sakhmet. And Seth is right…this is important.”

Sakhmet is quiet before nodding, putting a hand over her heart as she gave a small bow, glancing up at him as she did, something moving in the darkness behind her and between the shadows of the room.

“As you say, my star, my Pharaoh. I, Sakhmet, the Red Lady, will ensure this ritual is not interrupted, and that you and your rock, your pillar, ascend to the place your father and his faithful servant once held. You are the living Horus, and I am your protector.”

“So you are, Red Lady,” the Pharaoh said as he held out his hand and Seth moved to help him prepare for the day. The servants had all long stopped coming into this room, after one had attempted to assassinate the Pharaoh and, instead, learned what powers the Shadows had, and what Sakhmet controlled. “You are the _nekhakha_ , the flail, that gives out the right punishment, just as Seth is my _heka_ , my crook, to help me lead. Without either of you, I would not have the right to the _sekhem_ granted to us by the Items.”

Seth looks upset, though he holds the Rod over his heart. “You are a just ruler, and far too kind to your subjects, and even if I had not gained the rank I do now, you would still have your power.”

Sakhmet slowly stood and gave him a smile. “You are the only one who has ever restrained my power, a power granted to me by the Mighty One, the one for whom I am named. That you can hold and gained the power of the Pendant, of the mightiest of the Items, only shows your true power.”

Seth relaxed his stance, once more crossing his arms. “You know Siamun dislikes such displays.”

“He is an old man, as is your mentor,” Sakhmet said with a huff as the Pharaoh smiled at both, moving to get ready for his day, “and our sebah cares for us both. I don’t see why they are so unhappy with the displays that the priests and chosen of the Items only see.”

“Don’t disparage my mentor and the one who allowed me into this group,” Seth said a bit coldly before letting out a breath. “I don’t know why. They act oddly, now that the final Item has been chosen me to wield it. Akhenaden is greatly troubled these days, and the ritual’s date only seems to make him more upset and uneasy.”

The Pharaoh paused as he put on the final cuff, putting a hand to his forehead and then to the Pendant. What was this odd feeling? Why did he still think of that dream?

_Something bad is going to happen. Something will occur…and it will change everything. Everyone will be…everyone…_

The Pharaoh scoffed at his worry. He was not the one who wielded the Tauk, even if the Pendant held power over all the Shadows. It was still one of mystery, the one linked closely with the power of the Pharaoh and with the power of the other Items. The only one different from all of them was Sakhmet and her Items, the three Items that made up her abilities and allowed her to be the first and last line of defense in protecting the priests and the Pharaoh.

_She holds three Items? But then Shadii…_

The Pharaoh turned around, attempting to find the odd-yet-familiar voice he’d been hearing all day, and finally stopping as his two friends and advisors looked at him. “Come. We are running late, and I wish to ensure this proud day is one to be remembered.”


	2. I've Seen the Future (It is Murder)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaiba and the group go after Katsuye and Mokuba, and discover a dark secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the Laws mean that even numbered chapters (to the final few) will deal with Kaiba's adventures with Noa because...it's a very short detour and I wanted it longer. Odd number chapters deal with the past and the group finding out the truth about what happened to create the puzzle and such. So, ma'at is the past (a deity from the past) and Turing is the present/future (a Turing Test will determine if there is an AI).
> 
> Enjoy!

_When they said (they said)/Repent(repent)/Repent(repent!)/I wonder what they meant_

\-          The Future, _Leonard Cohen_

They manage to get out of the plane as something like a dust storm briefly kicks up, and the group is momentarily blinded before the whole thing clears. Kaiba blinks as he sees the griffin sitting on a pile of discarded technology and weapons, its tail waving as if in invitation as its wings lay folded on his back, the eagle head and beak looking at them as they walk out. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, though, and Kaiba frowned as he looked around the ruins of Alcatraz, trying to figure out where the group would have gone and what secrets had been buried even before he demolished the place. The idea that his actions indirectly or directly lead to Mokuba and Katsuye being attacked, to the security guards being endangered…

_And if you had to choose between that horrible orphanage or Gozaburo again, you know you’d pick the Kaiba name every time. No matter what else happens, you always pick that devil and his evils._

Kaiba steeled himself from such thoughts - his focus _had_ to be Mokuba and Katsuye. He trusted Hinagata and Rin and the others to fix things at KaibaCorp, and he knew that, whatever the oddness with the Shadows, Yami and Yugi would deal with it as needed. He had to let go of the hold Gozaburo had over his company, and he had to allow it to grow on it’s own. After what happened with the Big Five, and the work they had to do to keep the company upright during all the changes and the tournament that officially marked the turn from selling weapons to selling games and theme parks, Kaiba _has_ to trust them to do their jobs.

“Here,” Varon said, getting the group to look over as he checked something on the ground, “I got ‘em now.”

“Who are they?” Mai asked as Varon stood, shifting a bit, as if upset by the question and their pause that was taking up valuable time.

“We can ask that when we catch up to them,” Kaiba said, getting Varon to relax for only a moment before he continued, “I would like to know how former colleagues of yours found my island, and what they meant by ‘true’ KaibaCorp.”

Shizuka looked worried for Varon but also seemed to steel herself before the group continued, picking up the pace eas things start to get dark with more and more of the remains of the weapons and shops starting to come into play. The long shadows and darker areas gave the group they were following more places to hide, and it played on Kaiba’s nerves, already frayed from the time spent Dueling and the dark Shadows that Marik had called during the final game.

A sudden, jarring scream that sounded far too familiar made the group run faster, reaching the end of the odd, half-hidden path before Varon let out a gasp. Kaiba paused as he looked over at the two, one of them looking at Kaiba with a cold disdain, his hair short and red, with dark eyes that seemed laser-locked on Kaiba. Next to him was a serious looking man with blond hair that was spiked up, curving around as a stylized sideburns that ended in points on his cheeks, but the man standing in front of them, a smirk on his face as he sees Kaiba, his grip tightening on Katsuye’s throat as she struggled against his arm around her throat, was the one who drew Kaiba’s attention quickly. The man had a hard face, his hair cut so it was long on the top and buzzed underneath, and he wore an odd necklace, like white circuits, that stood out against his dark shirt. A brief glance at the other two showed a similar black shirt and white necklace that appeared to be like a circuit of some sort, but the other two are also wearing dark coats that billow behind them, covering most of the rocks and area they are sitting on and hiding whatever they, too, are holding.

“Is this the guy you gave me up for, Katsuye?” the other man asked, his eyes cold and emotionless and his smirk now more of a leer as he leaned in to speak to her. “I doubt he could satisfy you the way I would’ve, if you’d just stayed by my side.”

Kaiba glared as the red-haired one moved enough to show his hold on the unconscious Mokuba, Kaiba’s hate and attention divided as he heard Varon start to speak behind him.

“Alistair, Raphael, what are you two doing?”

The one holding Katsuye glanced briefly at Varon, not looking away as he said, “Oh? He an old friend of yours too?”

“Not all of us are connected to the half-breed bitch you like so much,” the red-haired man said with some disdain as he looked over Varon and said, “and we’re doing what we’re supposed to do. We’re not about to turn traitor for some tawny-eyed savage and the first blond-haired bimbo we see.”

“Say that to my face,” Mai growled out, Kaiba watching as Katsuye stilled, glancing over between him and the half-hidden Shizuka as Hirutani let out a laugh.

“Oh, this is too perfect. Boss will _really_ enjoy this.”

“Enough, both of you,” the blond man said, his voice deep and enough to make everyone freeze, as he stood, showing himself to be taller than Kaiba by a few inches. The movement allows Kaiba to see Mokuba is being held by the blond man, his body limp as the red-haired man held up a thin pad, the screen coming on to show the KaibaCorp board room, or what looked like the board room, and five familiar figures seated. Kaiba frowned as he watched and glanced over at the group, a look from Katsuye and to the projections as he spoke. “You five should know when to stay dead.”

“As cheerful as ever, Kaiba-kun,” Kogoro says, his disdain finally shining through as he looked at Kaiba, “I wonder how long that attitude of yours will last.”

Katsuye moved at that point, throwing her head backwards and hitting Hirutani hard enough to cause him to stagger, his hold on her loosening enough that she managed to duck out of it and turn, moving to try and get away or even get to Mokuba.

“That’s not how this works,” a new voice, this one almost childish but carrying an undertone that Kaiba didn’t like, spoke up from the pad that the red-haired man had started to drop. “You’re doing this all wrong.”

Kaiba didn’t stop to argue, the two groups going for each other, when the ground suddenly opened up beneath them and they were falling.

\--

Kogoro flinched as he saw the screen go black, looking back over to chair with it’s back to them, the room once more changing from KaibaCorp offices to the digitized realm they’d first entered after being put into the machine. They had done what they could to stop Kaiba Seto when he’d first reawoke from that coma and especially after the events concerning Pegasus. Now, they had more bodies, someone who knew the Shadows and who’d been saved from them by the _true_ Kaiba heir, not to mention disgruntled ex-soldiers from Paradis who wanted to take revenge on their friend. They hadn’t imagined that they’d get the added bonus of Kaiba Seto’s new girlfriend _and_ his brother.

What they hadn’t expected was the sudden disappearance of them into the facility, prompting the other four to look uneasily at him before he finally asked, “Is this wise, Kaiba-sama? To bring them into this place so soon?”

The chair slowly turned, the occupant looking at them all with annoyance as linked his fingers together. Kogoro felt himself sweating again, like he had years before when he’d only just started at KaibaCorp. It made him feel foolish, and he tried his best to recover as the others subtly shifted in their own chairs, some of them more nervous than the others.

“I made this choice because we know that we can separate the group and deal with Seto while the others are occupied by the ones you scavenged out of hiding. I have big plans for those three.”

Kogoro frowned as Soichiro muttered, “Three? But there are only two of those adopted brats.”

“You were saying something? Or do you think I miscalculated something?”

“N-no, sir. I…that is…”

“You said ‘three’,” Kogoro told him, wondering if throwing Soichiro to the wolf like this was fair, but finding himself unable to really care. It was his own fault for opening his mouth. “We were under the impression you only wanted to deal with the one who usurped your rightful place as head of KaibaCorp. We’re not sure who the final person you’re talking about is, and want to make sure we act according to any plan you have.”

The heir slowly looked at them all, his eyes glinting with a strange, green color as it settled on Soichiro and then flicked to Kogoro. It was unnerving, waiting to see what the man would say, and it only served to show the difference between the heir and Seto, as well as how badly things had gotten if Seto was the one in control, not the actual heir.

“My plans are my own, and who they involve is no concern to you. Your job is deal with the one trying to undo Hinagata’s work, and to direct those three that we do have so they do their job and get rid of the others. After that, we can make our comeback and start things the way they’re supposed to be.”

“Of course,” Kogoro said, nodding with the rest before Nesbitt stuttered out his apology. There was a quiet moment, more a pregnant pause than a peaceful, quiet moment, before the heir said, “Get going. I expect them to be dealt with in a timely manner.”

The group nodded as they got up, heading out with Kogoro going last before he shut the door. It wasn’t until they were further away from the conference room that Konosuke spoke up, growling out to Soichiro, “Idiot, think before you speak!”

“I didn’t...I was just…”

“Enough, Konosuke,” Kogoro said, getting their attention, “we have enough to do without this petty arguing. We’ve been given an assignment and we will finish it. He’s right, we have no reason to question him, and we’re not _going_ to question him. We have this chance to regain KaibaCorp and our old power. We have our orders. I’m not going to go against him just because he has his own agenda we don’t know about.”

The group finally nodded, turning back to head to the various doors that lead them to the respective lands they ruled over in this odd world, and Kogoro paused at his, wondering. Would his end of the deal be held up, and they would return in better bodies? Kogoro relished and hoped for the day of walking back out in a better body, a younger body that would allow him even more years to hone his skills and gain more power. He had all that time to get whatever he wanted, and he would get all of it from the heir, and their return to KaibaCorp and the arms industry will only lead him to greater power and money.

“You had your chance, Seto-kun. It’s time for you to see the true path this company is always meant to be, and what it will always be.”

\--

“Oni-san!” Ren’s voice brought him back with a gasp, his head pounding as he tried to focus. What had happened? What was that ringing in his ears?

Ren’s voice was too quiet, and his eyes focused enough that he found himself shaking as he let her go, the younger woman falling to the floor as he did, the blank and dark area in his memory making him shake in fear. What had he done? What made him do this?

_So father sent you here for me? This should be fun. All the others didn’t realize anything…but you already figured it out, didn’t you?_

“what…what did…” Hinagata’s voice felt hoarse, as if he’d been screaming or something, and he was shaking, as if vibrating in place, as Ren slowly started to get up, the blood running down her face as bruises formed along the side as well. He knows he did that. Something happened, and he started all this, and she tried to stop him and…and…

“Oni-san, it’s ok.”

_Do as I say!_

“What did they do to me? What did Gozaburo plan?”


	3. Amduat (That Which is in the Afterlife)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ceremony commences, but the ending is not one that anyone could have predicted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that while I do enjoy Yu-gi-oh and all of it's wonderful campiness....I also find that basic research into Egyptian history makes the story /just that much better/. Many liberties are taken and body-horror and gore warnings are about to be applied.

_“You have nice manners for a thief -  and a liar.”_

\-          Smaug, _The Hobbit (1977)_

 

The day was quiet enough, even with the ceremony coming later on, during the twilight time. The atmosphere is not tense in the morning at least, though Seth is stiffer than he normally is, and the other one who is also establishing his connection to the Item is just as obviously worried. It’s not the first time he’s seen the man, or seen the attitude that Siamun and Akhenaden gave the man for his ‘low birth’ and former job. The Pharaoh remembers the day he was caught and brought before them, defiant and angry and able to not only fight back, but also gaining the gift of the Millennium Item that now tied him to the group. Mahaad had not been happy, as his role had been caring for the tombs, but he’d taken on the talented thief easily and taught him various tricks. That the two were friends only showed the thief’s ability to change and reform, no matter what Siamun said.

“Bakura,” he said as the man himself approached, the scar on his eye seeming to stand out in the same way as the ones that Sakhmet had, “I congratulate you on getting this far and showing your ability.”

“You mean despite the issues your father’s former advisors brought up?” Bakura asked, glancing over at Siamun and Akhenaden as Seth’s mentor glared at them, while Siamun instead attempted to speak to Mahaad, though his eyes were now darting over towards the two. “I will admit, at least you’re not ignoring us in exchange for your protector and the one who gained the Rod.”

“Seth and I have known each other for a long while, and Sakhmet has protected me since I was a child. That is why they stand where they do, though you have shown a great deal of promise to gain the power of the Ring, and the trust and understanding of the others.” He motioned to the few others who stood nearby, all of them smiling and friendly, open in a way that Father’s advisors had never been.

“We only need for someone to accept the Eye then,” Bakura said, turning to look at the other advisors whose ranks he would officially join in a few hours - even if one was accepted by the Items, it could take years of study and training before someone fully gained the power over the Shadows that would not drive them to darkness or madness. “I don’t think Akhenaden will give it up so easily, though. I’ve never known someone to cling to power and life.”

The Pharaoh didn’t argue with Bakura - he knew that the two oldest advisors had worked to try to get him thrown out, despite the way the Ring had reacted to any other that attempted to touch it, and despite the fact that Bakura’s predecessor had ended up burning alive when he attempted something with the Ring. None of the new group knew what happened - even Sakhment and her _swt_ were confused as to what it was that happened - and the Pharaoh attributed Akhenaden and Siamun’s annoyance and worry to the fate of their companion who’d wielded the power before. The Ring, after all, was held over the same area as the Pendant, and it was rumored to hold onto darker powers than the Pendant. In their minds, continuing to allow it to be held by a former thief, one that possibly even robbed tombs or lived near the cursed village of Kul Edna. The Pharaoh had seen a man who had taken up the Ring and, though prone to using it for dangerous means, has never gone too far away from _ma’at_. His former work had only been due to his need to live and survive, and he never took more than he or those relying on him needed from the tomb. Though such things meant he disturbed the dead, Bakura had managed to also repent for what he’d done as well, and returned some of the things before sealing the tombs again with help from Mahaad.

Besides, as the Bearer of the Key, Mahaad knew more about the inner workings of the reformed Thief, and the two were at least colleagues. Not quite the same level of friends as himself as Seth, but friends none the less, and it helped to at least gave Bakura someone to talk to, and gave Mahaad someone else besides Mana to help train and teach.

“You seem worried,” Mahaad himself said as he walked up, giving the thief a smile that Bakura easily returned, “don’t be. The test is daunting, yes, but many of us have passed it, and any who hold an Item for so long have the mental and spiritual power to contend with the darkness that can sometimes hide within the Shadows.”

“I’ve seen my fair share of darkness. What appears in the Shadows is simply the echo of that which was in people’s hearts,” Bakura muttered as he accepted a glass of chilled juice, “That doesn’t bother me about this test. The malice I know I will have to endure is what worries me.”

“We will protect you for as long as you need it, Bakura,” the Pharaoh told him with a smile, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You are one of my advisors, and respected by the others as well. If even Seth has good things to say about you, then his mentor and my father’s advisor have no say in the manner.”

\--

Sakhmet watches her sebah closely, trailing after him as he speaks to everyone slowly. He spends most of the time with the reformed thief, but Sakhmet is not surprised at that. She feels a kindred spirit with the thief, though she is not sure why. She supposes it is the scar on his face, which oddly enough feels like her own, self-inflicted ones.

Sakhmet touches the scarred flesh briefly before glancing over to see Siamun motioning to her, as if to speak. The man was the vizier of the former Pharaoh, and had passed down the Key to Mahaad when the time came. He was also one who, while mistrustful of her at first, had finally accepted her into the group after years of work and after she’d saved her sebah from at least one attack. Even if she is one of the hands of the Pharaoh, he is still a man with years experience, and who remembers when the Items first came to them.

“You need to relax, have your _swt_ watch over him. This is a time of celebration.”

“I thought you didn’t like Bakura,” she muttered, looking back over to where the thief stood with Mahaad and his overly-enthusiastic protege, Mana.

“I was unhappy at first, and I agree that there are too few things we know of his past, but he has gained a place with the Pharaoh and with the others. I can only protest for so long before I see that this is _ma’at_ , and that he is meant to help the Pharaoh.”

She smiled at the revelation, glancing to Akhenaden and letting out a sigh. “If only the last one of the former Pharaoh would accept him as well.”

“Akhenaden has his reasons for it, Sakhmet. He will accept him, or he will find a replacement and they will accept him. Either way, it will be a good change in things.”

She nods in agreement, looking around again, not really able to relax. She’d protected her sebah and the others from dangers for years, and even if this was only a gathering of the priests and those who had been chosen by the Items, she couldn’t shake a feeling of dread that had been at the back of her mind since that morning.

She watched as her sebah continued to speak with others, any signs of the odd headache he’d had earlier no longer there. It didn’t stop her from worrying that this would mean the Shadows or something was calling to him, or that the sign of something bad to come was about to start.

\--

It was odd, the strange feeling that something was going to happen or that something was trying to warn him about what would happen, even if it didn’t know for sure _what_ was warning about. He knows that Sakhmet is feeling the same, unable to shake the dread that seems to be building up and has been building for a while now. It’s odd, heavy in the air, and feels the same as some event he can’t quite name, an event he witnessed but had no reference for or any idea of where to start as far as the mystery was concerned. Though he has every confidence in Seth and Bakura, the strange voice and dream, not to mention the odd feeling of _something_ about to go wrong has him on edge.

The group waited in the Throne Room, where the two who took the test would emerge and bow before him, showing their loyalty to the Pharaoh and to the other priests. He remembers the first time this occurred, with Isis and Shada, then again with Mahaad. It might be a while before another bowed before him, accepting the Millennium Eye, but he hoped that day would not be filled with the same tension as today. He knows it’s not just that Bakura is a thief taking this test either - he has passed others to gain more power over the Shadows and the Ring.

Seth is the first to stumble out of the doorway, tired and pale but his eyes shining in triumph as he walked the rest of the way to where he was to stand, kneeling and breathing heavily before drawing in a deep breath and saying, “I am now the Master of the Millennium Rod, the holder of one with the power to sway minds and that will aid the Pharaoh as your _heka_ , your crook, through all matters. I will show myself worthy of the _sekham_ given to me by the Rod, and by your divine will.”

“I accept you as my _heka_ , and my advisor in this role. With that power, our _sekham_ will help to keep _ma’at_ in this world, and the next, and through this, the next Millennium will pass with ease and peace.”

Seth slowly stood, straightening and putting a hand over his heart, the Rod’s Eye looking to the Pharaoh before he started to walk up to take his place besides the smiling Sekhmet. Everything froze, though, as a voice rang out just as they saw Bakura stumble out, his fingers seeming to be stuck in the shape of claws as he looked up at them, his eyes that were normally clear looking mad with pain and rage.

“ _Hypocrites! Liars!_ You will pay for what you did!”

The guards moved to intercept him as he moved towards the group, Seth turning quickly and swaying as he did right before there was a sudden, dangerous roar and the nearest guard was suddenly attacked, two large holes opening up as the form of what appeared to be a snake wrapped around him and squeezed. The sound of the sickening crunch and the sight of blood was enough to make the Pharaoh gasp in horror as Bakura’s anger-filled eyes found his, then moved over to one side, to where Akhenaden stood with his hand raised, already chanting. If anything, the anger that the Pharaoh saw only doubled before the outline of the snake speed towards the older priest, jaw opening--

A roar filled the room, all but shaking the stone pillars at their foundation, as Sakhmet lept forward, her sword free and the three massive Shadows stood before and flanking the snake, the distinctive monsters snarling as the snake hissed and reared, as if preparing to strike.

“Don’t get in my way,” Bakura growled out, the Ring now visible and, for the first time, the Pharaoh saw that the prongs of it has imbedded itself into Bakura’s skin, shallow enough that their outline still showed. “You are my kin in this pain, Red Lady. You _will_ allow me this revenge!”

“You are not making sense, and therefore I will _not_ ,” she growled out, her voice as low and threatening as a lioness about to strike, “You are mad, and I make allowance for the pain you are in. But if you attack again, I will end you.”

If anything, this only caused Bakura to glare at her even more, his hands twitching but not losing the claw-like shape, as the snake hisses and spits at the lions, a hood unfolding as Mahaad spoke up, not bothering to hold onto the Key or even call up his power as Akhenaden had been attempting to do, stopped only by Shada and Isis as they waited, Isis looking worried as she held out a hand towards the eldest of the priests, stopping all of his movements. It doesn’t stop Bakura’s glare as Mahaad said, “Bakura, please…calm down. Tell us what happened. Tell us what is going on.”

“No. You are all hypocrites and liars. I will not allow this to continue,” Bakura all but hissed out as the snake hissed at the chimera Merew, the snake tail returning the hiss while Bakura continued, “I won’t. I can’t forgive you all for your blindness and using these to have peace when you harbor one who brought darkness and chaos here just for his own power.” He glared back at Akhenaden. “Do you deny what you did? Do you deny that power and evil you set upon my village? Say its name, and I will stand down, if only to tell them of what evils you wrought to bring forth the Items.”

The Pharaoh waits for an answer, _prays_ to all the gods that Akhenaden will end this insanity, will stop what is going on so they can calm down Bakura, stop all of this, have the seven here and whole. Something about what Bakura has said and implied only makes him think of his father, of the last sight he saw of him, kneeling before the shrine in the inner temple here and speaking quietly, his focus so intent on the prayers that he didn’t realize his son was behind him.

_Do not visit such a fate upon them…let them know peace…_

The spell that Akhenaden throws is huge and encompassing, causing Merew to shriek in pain as Sakhmet falls down in pain, the other two Shadows letting out roars of frustration while the huge cobra that is Bakura’s _swt_ spits venom in its pain. Mahaad is barely able to throw up a shield around them before Bakura glare turns murderous and he disappears from sight. Everyone is quiet Akhenaden yells, “Quickly, we must follow him, before he escapes! He’ll only cause more deaths!”

Seth looked at the area near the Pharaoh, where he’d nearly been hit by the acidic venom, before saying, “Mahaad, Shada, with me! Isis, take the Pharaoh and Sakhmet into--.”

“ _No_ ,” the growl is guttural, primal, and it freezes everyone in their place as the three _swt_ , the three Shadows that Sakhmet commands, become visible, the Griffin spreading it’s wings wide in a mix of an eagle’s cry and a lion’s roar, the Sphinx opening the too-human mouth and showing the large, lioness teeth, as Sakhmet and her first _swt_ stand slowly. Merew is hurt but healing, and the golden handle of one of her Items is now red with blood, almost an extension of her hand as her skin seems fused to it, the hand and handle almost one as the curved blade almost hums as it darkens, the usual white-gold color now almost a sickly green-red.

“ _He is ours,_ ” she rasps out, and the thing in the back of his head, the odd thing that is not himself but himself, is terrified and awed. All the Pharaoh can think is that she looks like the legend, of when her protector-goddess roamed the land and killed everyone, drinking their blood to the point of becoming intoxicated by it. The Sphinx glared at Akhenaden and stalked him briefly before instead racing off, the Griffin taking flight and getting out the high window as Sakhmet and Merew ran, following Bakura out and into the darkening hallway.

No one spoke for a long minute, until the Pharaoh let out a breath and looked to Akhenaden. “You will retreat to the inner temple, and pray that your hatred and inability to control yourself does not result in more deaths.”

“My Pharaoh, you must--.”

“You attacked another priest, another protector of the Pharaoh!” Mahaad yelled at him, the normally calm man showing his own anger as the agitated Shadows moved, as if waiting to latch onto another. “He exited the room and showed himself in possession of a _swt_ , and a powerful one. You forced Sakhmet away from her post and you sabotaged our chances of calming him down and stopping the darker Shadows to take him! Pray all you like for forgiveness, Akhenaden, you will never receive it from me.”

“ENOUGH!” Seth’s voice boomed, dispelling the Shadows and stopping everyone as he said, “I will act as both crook and flail, _heka_ and _nekhakha_ , until Sakhmet returns. We will deal with what happened after Bakura is brought back to us and this crisis has passed.” He glanced at Akhenaden. “You were given an order by the Living Horus. Have you no shame that you would dare question him?”

Akhenaden looked surprised, angry, then finally he lowered his head. “Forgive me. I was--.”

“Your excuse was not asked for, and you are to leave our sight, Akhenaden,” the Pharaoh finally commanded, feeling odd. He always treated everyone with respect, but this event had shaken him, as had Akhenaden’s lashing out at the accusation. It made no sense that he would do such a thing, not when admitting it, or showing his innocence, might have only calmed Bakura enough to have Mahaad speak to him.

Akhenaden stiffens but remains bowed, turning to leave as the Pharaoh said, “Mahaad, go back to your own workshop and pray for a solution to this.”

“But I should--.”

“Am I surrounded by those who are so disrespectful you don’t understand when I give an order and not a request? You may have worked to calm Bakura but you also worked to anger Akhenaden, your senior. If this continues, you will _not_ be advised of the situation until after Bakura is returned and questioned.”

He knows he’s never been so short with them, but all that has happened today – the headaches, the sense of dread, what Bakura hinted at, Sakhmet’s anger and transformation – has left him unwilling to listen to any of his advisors until this matter was dealt with, or until they knew that Bakura had escaped or that Sakhmet had found him.

Mahaad bowed as well and left, with no further word, as the Pharaoh let out a breath. Why was this happening now? What was the reason for this?

 _He called us liars, said it had to do with the ritual to bring about the Items, the village he was in…_ the voice that was not his own, that seemed to know other things, spoke quietly, contemplating and causing his head to pound. _He called her a ‘kindred’._

“Pharaoh, what is it?” Isis is close, and he slowly shakes his head.

“We must find Bakura and know what made him go mad, what brought out Sakhmet’s anger and wildness. I do not like that we don’t know anything about this.”

\--

_So that is why I am the Thief to the Keeper._

“shut up,” Bakura growled to the voice in his mind, his _swt_ having taken him out of the city already and further away, towards the tombs he once robbed.

Specifically, to one tomb that had only recently been closed.

He would take their anger and hatred of them. He will show them what became those who dabbled in such power and never paid the price for it. He would throw the Pharaoh’s willful ignorance back in his face, and raze the temple and sacred grounds down, and let the desert take them.

_As the desert took my home, as the sands swallowed up the remains of that massacred village…I will make their peace that stands on bloodshed and fear fall into darkness._


	4. Hear the Trumpets (Mai & Varon vs. Alistair & Raphael)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mai and Varon run across Paradis, only it's not. Two of the Big Five attempt to figure out what is going on, and general creepiness continues on everyone's part.

_Whoever is unjust, let him be unjust still/Whoever is righteous, let him be righteous still/Whoever is filthy, let him be filthy still/listen to the words long written down/when the man comes around_

\-          The Man Comes Around, _Johnny Cash_

Mai groaned as she rubbed her head, looking around at the place they landed with a frown. In front of them was a large building, more like a castle from some cheap video game, that was colored a dark purple, with some sort of areas lighter due to the sunlight, while the shadows themselves were far darker, going from purple to almost black. The whole thing looked odd, like some unnaturally organic thing that only grew on remote, isolated islands, and she swallowed when she saw the huge, snake-like monster at the corners, the heads down and mouths open as the tails pointed upwards to the sky.

“And here I thought they’d taken that ugly thing down,” she heard a familiar voice mutter as she turned, seeing Varon looking over at the building too, but with a look of hatred and contempt.

“What...what is that?”

“The former headquarters of Paradius, a company I was...employed by, you could say. You could also say they bribed the Warden into doing unsavory things and I got a job as a thug out of it. Not the best way for things to go.” He let out a slow breath before saying, “That’s where Raphael and Alistair are from, where I met them. It was where Layla rescued me from, and where I took those two out of, even if they didn’t want to leave. I didn’t think they’d go to KaibaCorp, or do…” he shook his head. “I don’t get how it’s here.”

“It’s not really here,” she told him seriously, “I know this look. This isn’t the real world.”

 _“Oh, it’s real enough, Miss Kujaku_ ,” a voice said, making the two turn as a man stepped up to them, the business suit and cold demeanor telling her that this was probably one of the Big Five they fought the first time. He was stocky, with white hair that stood out against his bald head, and his suit was a dark blue color with the same snake-like thing that adorned the top of the castle. He smirked at the two, every inch the businessman who thought he knew what he was doing, and was going to convince you of the same thing. He adjusts one of his cuffs before saying, “Well, well. I’m a bit surprised to see you again, Miss Kujaku, and with such a…” he glances at Varon, sizing him up as Varon looks ready to launch himself at the suited man. “Your choice of company certainly hasn’t improved, now has it?”

“Funny, I could say the same thing about you and your group. Whatever did happen to you five? Last we saw you, you were stuck, mentally, in a game. I heard from someone that was never a good option.”

That didn’t even seem to register with the man as he looked back over at her, instead he simply continued like the insult and question didn’t phase him. “I suggest you do your best to hurry through the gauntlet. After all, you wouldn’t want to keep Seto-kun and that little girl of his waiting, would you?”

He disappeared with a snap of his fingers before they could answer, getting Mai to glare at the place he’d been before letting out a breath. “What the hell is going on?”

\--

Konosuke Oshita frowned as he brought himself back to the throne room of the Paradius, shifting as he looked around the unfamiliar room and the place he’d taken up as his domain for the time being. It doesn’t feel like a room he can be really comfortable in – instead, it feels like a prison of some sort, made up of water and snakes and why is he _here_? He hates snakes, he can hardly swim, why is he even here?

Konosuke shakes his head, trying to focus. He’s got a job to do, he has to deal with these two and take out the two who followed Seto-kun into this area, giving them more time to get everything together. After that, they can get their new, better bodies and not have to worry about the failing ones. After all, it had been proven by that hacker that staying in the pods for too long would only cause issues - at least with this, they would have better bodies, younger and healthier and better able for them to take care of business and return KaibaCorp to its true purpose.

Konosuke smiled at the thought as he moved around the room, stopping when he looks down at the symbol underneath, seeing the huge snake, wrapped around the world and biting its own tale, one mosaic eye seeming to watch him as he walked back, glaring at the area.

“Stop it,” he chided himself, turning from the snake and looking back to the monitors, seeing the two enter as the other two wandered easily through the halls. Good, everything was started, and he just had to monitor things from here. Kaiba-san would reward him greatly once this was all done.

\--

“It _doesn’t_ add up,” Shuzo muttered as he sat in his own room, monitoring things and typing on the sheet that would give him the best outcomes, taking every mathematical equation into account. Around him, the icy realm remained quiet despite the overheating supercomputers and the lounging penguins behind him. “What is he trying to do?”

After the meeting and the introduction to the group into the Virtual World, the first people to enter without using the pods, Shuzo had begun to work. Hacking and movement through computers was math, though one that he wasn’t as good at as others like that Hinagata or anyone else, but it was enough that when he built up this icy area, near the castle that Konosuke had taken against all odds, he’d been able to really _think_ for once.

And it didn’t add up. The other four were in areas they wouldn’t normally go into, with fears that were easily exploited. Not to mention that the ones who were brought in weren’t even being monitored that well, save for Mokuba and that girl. So why was all of this going on? What was the purpose of it?

“What is the real plan? What is he doing?”

\--

Varon had hoped that he wouldn’t have to tell Mai about this part of his life for at least a little while. At least until he was ready to really bring it up and know what to say about the whole thing. Trying to explain you were part of an evil group bent on world destruction at the hands of a massive serpent-spirit is…

Well, there is just no good way to talk about it or even start that conversation. Especially not with someone who had to deal with strange powers and things like that. So getting to the subject of “my last job involved me attempting to get a person to pay up their soul to a serpent called Leviathan, and my coworkers were very much invested in their job” had been near impossible _before_ the whole kidnapping thing. Now, it was more a condensed version as they headed inside and paused, looking around at the huge ceiling and the ornate walls that he remembered from the last time he’d been here, escaping with Alistair over his shoulder and following Layla as she lead the way out, dragging Raphael with her.  

Now, he had to find those two and hopefully drag them out of here again. That should be an even more interesting conversation, over the one he has to have with Mai later about his past and the like. Of course, right now came up the question of how the hell they got to where they were going and what the hell they were supposed to do. The huge foyer was just like before – without any real weapons, and without any actual signs of where to go and what they had to do.

“Great,” Mai muttered as she looked around the area then looked back at Varon, “So now what?”

He shifted a bit. “Um…what makes you think--?”

“You’re best friends turn out to be the two who kidnapped Katsuye and Mokuba right after Katsuye _just_ woke up, and they acted like assholes about the whole thing. So…now what?”

Varon let out a sigh before finally pointing to the far door, “That one, it’ll lead us further in, but I might be wrong, considering this isn’t the actual palace. It was kinda destroyed the last time I saw it, but I was a bit busy dragging a former friend out.”

Mai looked at it and then gave him a smile. “Alright. So, should we head in and deal with your former friends who can’t be grateful?”

He smiled a bit. “Let’s do that, then. I might have to talk to you about what happened on the way.”

Mai let out a bit of a laugh before she grinned at him. “I expect at least a good idea of what the deal was with those two, Varon. After all, they were _your_ friends, and you met that Jean guy who tried to date me.”

He groaned at the memory of that idiot who’d harassed her right before Varon had to go off and pick up Shizuka. The memory of Shizuka and Katsuye sours his mood, but he nods finally before saying, “It really started with the place I grew up, and a fire that some punks set, and what I decided to do about it…”

\--

Mai is worried as they walk through the huge mansion, the whole thing feeling wrong as they continued through. It was odd, how much the place reminded her of the Virtual World while also showing off that it wasn’t that either, that something had happened within it to change things up. The place felt like everything was watching her, even when she glanced around and saw it wasn’t, and that resulted in her wondering if that wasn’t what was happening right now. As it was, the path they’d ended up taking was showing them a multitude of violent and war-filled paintings, the hugeness of them as well as the protected qualities saying that they would have been originals, if this was all real. It was odd and distracting, and she was suddenly grateful that Varon’s story, while sad and upsetting, was overall short as they walked. At the same time, the silence, save for their footsteps, was deafening and only added to the surrealness and uncanniness of this place. If anything, she was grateful for Varon’s presence even more than the few broken pieces of weapons and the like they’d found in one of the dusty rooms, the ‘trashed’ look as off as the rest of the place, as if staged instead of really broken in anger or over time. Varon currently held a long bit of a wood that resembled a bat, and she had a

“So, besides that Jean guy,” Varon finally asked, nearly startling her with the sound of his voice, “anyone else I have to worry about?”

“Not really,” Mai said, glancing up at the painting of a woman watching a sleeping man, a nail to his head with a hammer raised high, about to strike. “Oddly enough, none of the other guys were as much trouble as Jean, or they got the hint really quickly.”

“That’s good to hear. I’d hate to have to watch you kick their asses again. Makes a man feel inadequate if I can’t at least help out.”

She snorted at that, casting him a half-hearted glare as he winked at her, showing he was mostly trying to calm her down even as he was uncomfortable with the setting. The pictures turned dark, the final one that of a woman being gawked at by men, though the photo seemed to change from her turning away, the men reaching, to the men’s hand violently holding her hair as she screamed.

The scream they heard made both jump, Mai gripping tight on the Varon’s hand as he reached over to hold it, the two backing up equally and both in a fighting stance. It ended abruptly, as if whoever had been yelling was now silenced, which only served to make Mai even more tense as they slowly moved forward, from under the final, dark image of two women holding down a struggling man as one of them sliced into the man’s head, blood splattering everywhere as she did and his arms attempting to push back the other woman. It was unsettling and only added to the tense atmosphere of the area as they slowly walked forward, stopping again when they saw the two men from before, the ones Mai now knew were Alistair and Raphael. Their appearance didn’t make Varon relax, though. If anything, he stiffened even more, the hold turning almost painful on her hand as she looked at them then back to Varon.

“What the hell?” Varon growled out as the two began to move forward, their movement odd in a way that suddenly made Mai feel uncomfortable in a way she couldn’t define, in a way they hadn’t been even when they were holding onto the unconscious Mokuba or that tablet that showed them the Big Five and their taunts to Varon. Something had changed within the few minutes they were gone, and now Mai wanted to do nothing more than run, or use the makeshift bat on them if they got closer.

“What’s wrong, Varon?” the voice was still there for the red-haired man, Alistair, but it was off just by a bit, and something about it made her tense even more than Varon was. At the moment, she doubted he could tense anymore without breaking or doing _something_. “Aren’t you happy to see us again? Happy to finally be home? Come on...let’s introduce your girl to the boss.”

Varon shifted to move Mai only a bit behind him as she took on her own stance, ready to attack as the taller, blond man and the red-head came forward, their movements fluid but also stiff, odd, and something about their clothing and the way they moved in it making the whole thing feel odd and only got her hoping to run.

Alistair got too close, reaching out a hand as she heard something, something she couldn’t quite figure out, when Varon swung, Alistair too slow to stop the blow as it hit the side of his face and sent him against the wall, the two moving further back as Raphael tisked, sounding annoyed.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said, his voice cold and dull, monotone in a way that was almost like an old computer reading off lines, “it’s not very nice, and it’s not going to change things. You two are stuck here, like we are.” Something in his eye glittered, green instead of dark, and Mai found herself looking around, panicking in a way she hadn’t when she faced down Marik.

 _That was a threat of death, but in a way that at least showed off. This is like being hunted...hunted by a whole house_.

Alistair slowly started to get up, and whatever Varon saw, it made him freeze only a second before he turned, Mai following him as they both bolted back the way they came, coming to a sudden stop and nearly running into a wall that hadn’t been there before, the paintings now all gone and replaced by huge windows, looking out to a landscape that wasn’t at all like the one they came through, but the coloring the same as before.

“Come on!” Varon yelled at her, racing as she followed him, grabbing him and stopping when she saw a door, cracked open, and pulled him in.

The room was dark, and the two breathed heavily as she fumbled around, finding a light switch before turning it on, swallowing back a scream as she put a hand to her mouth, trying to stay quiet.

On a bed was a strange, huge machine, something slowly coming out of it as it began to open and move, as if it was attempting to push something out. A man stood nearby, yelling at others, and as the two walked a bit closer, they realized the group were behind glass. Varon grabbed her hand, tugging, as Mai slowly started with him.

From the machine started to come a dark-haired head, darkened by blood and fluid, and finally out of it, with an umbilical cord, was a child.

“Sir, it’s a success,” a white-clad man said as others moved around, cleaning off the child as it began to wail, the sound loud while Mai stopped briefly. She knew that man. She’d seen him before.

“ _Mai_ ,” Varon hissed as she glanced at him, then back before nodding, heading out while the man took the child and touched it’s hand.

“My son...Noa Kaiba.”

_Kaiba? But he didn’t have a child...did he?_

They barely make it out of the room and stop when they almost fall into what looks a pit, something suddenly flickering and going out before the dark purple and unnatural colors of the house are changed up, a new floor in front of them, and one she remembers from the big ball and from going to visit with Mokuba.

“This...this is Kaiba’s mansion?” She mutters quietly as they start forward again, cautious. “But...why? Why make something like this?”

Varon didn’t answer as they raced down the hall slowing before they ducked into another room, this one at least not dark or showing some disturbing scene of some sort, the two pausing as Varon finally said, “I don’t know. I just…whatever is going on…I don’t…what did they…” he shook his head. “That wasn’t those two. What I saw from where I had hit Al…that thing that was pretending to be Alistair.” Varon looked shaken, swallowing before he said, “We have to get out of here, Mai. We have to get the others and _run_. This place isn’t right.”

\--

Ren glared at the computer screen, then winced at the movement pulling on her bruised cheek, the reminder of what happened only solidifying her determination to fix things and throw out the hacker or virus or whatever had gotten into the computers. Whatever it was, it had done something to Oni-san, and she wasn’t about to let that fly. Currently, he was being held somewhere else, because he was afraid and upset over what happened to her, and she was going to fix this so he could be welcomed back in.

The code was old, but the hack or whatever was half-assed at best, and Ren smiled a bit, not even bothering to wince at how it pained her split lip or the other injuries that had just been briefly treated before she and the rest of the team went back to work. They were going to do their best to protect Hinagata, and that meant dealing with this treat and understanding what was going on.

“The ship is arriving from the island,” one of them reported, “it’s on manuel.”

That was bad, and Ren listened as a few scrambled to work through getting in contact with the group over radio and direct a private ambulance there to help care for the injured that were onboard. When she heard that the Kaibas weren’t onboard, and neither were many of the contestants, she froze before beginning to type again, focusing on her work.

She had to fix this, and leave the rest of the worry to the rest of the team. They knew what they were doing, and she could let them work on that while she fixed the system to allow them to get to Alcatraz and get everyone safely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The paintings are those done by Artemisia Gentileschi, who was a female painter and tended to not shy from some of the more violent acts while painting...like showing the gore for what happens when you actually behead a guy...
> 
> Also, never think "Oh, what was that one Ray Bradbury story I read that freaked me out? I wanna read it again!" before trying to write anything sci-fi. More on that later.


	5. Sebayt (Way of Truly Living)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mahaad learns the dark secret that drove Bakura to madness, and Seth meets a woman who will change his fate, and the fate of Egypt, as well as begins to understand where the lines of the priests come from.

_“I seem to be in an abandoned building, maybe I’m scouting out a new location for my nightmare factory, but other than that, why would I be here?”_

\-          Markiplier, _Black Rose | FREE HEART ATTACK/Marikplier Animated|MARKIBEAST_

Mahaad hates that he was banished to his workshop to wait, but at the same time, he acknowledges he should not have lost control of himself in such a way. Bakura was his friend, was the one who controlled the Ring as he controlled the Ankh, but whatever had happened during his trial, it had driven him mad. Akhenaden’s method of attempting to destroy the former thief had sent him away, and what he’d said…

Mahaad does his best to focus as he hears Isis and Mana come in, the younger girl obviously worried and upset as Isis slowly walks over and places a hand on his shoulder. “Nothing yet?”

“Even she is not so fast, though the last report is she followed his trail to the Necropolis.”

That didn’t bode well at all, not for anything or anyone. The main necropolis was where Bakura had been found before, near the small settlement that had been built there to house the protectors of the dead, but also sometimes held those that stole from them as well. But unlike the time they’d gotten him, this place hadn’t housed the tomb of the former Pharaoh.

If what Bakura had been rambling was what he truly believed, than…

“Isis, why tell me this? Why torment me in such a way?”

She is silent a long moment before saying, “It was not my intention to torment you, but to let you know. You and he were guardians and thieves to the necropolis before accepting the Items, and now that this is occurring, I wonder if...no, I _know_ you must go and speak to him there. Stop him from what he is about to do.”

Mahaad blinked at her, confused. Isis never advocated for disobeying _ma’at_ , and yet now she was demanding he disobey the Pharaoh, walk into the line of the maddened Sakhmet, and confront a man hurt and driven insane by the power of the Items, driven to darker Shadows? He sees her touch the Tauk on her neck, the gold flashing briefly, and she looked down, upset. “Something is coming, Mahaad. Something I cannot understand. We must be prepared for it, and that means we must speak to Bakura, calm him, and show that calmness to Sakhmet. Once we know what is going on, why he said what he did, than we will be able to fully defend ourselves. I am worried over what I see, and to what the others are planning. I think the others are upset over what Bakura implied, over the hint that maybe the Pharaoh will listen to him and take away that power. I’m even more afraid of…of what Akhenaden will do to Bakura.” She moved her hand away from the Item and looked over at him. “Please, go find Bakura and calm him. Save us from the fate I have foreseen.”

He’s quiet, thinking for a long moment, before saying, “I must speak to the Pharaoh first. I will not disobey his order, Isis. Not even for this.”

Isis finally nods in agreement, the two heading out as Mahaad sees Shada walking up to where the Pharaoh and Seth are, the priest and new holder of the Rod looking upset as they all approach, but the Pharaoh at least quiet over the inclusion of Mahaad as Shada bows, saying, “We have sent men out, but there are no signs, and the few we have show that approaching Sakhmet at this time is unwise at best. The path, though, appears to be heading towards the Necropolis.”

Seth is obviously displeased and glances at Isis, who normally does not speak up. “You have foreseen something, Isis?”

Shada looks annoyed but Isis nods, touching the Tauk again. “I have seen that a specific tomb in the Necropolis is in danger...your father, the former Pharaoh...his tomb needs protection. I also have seen that it is imperative that Mahaad travel there.”

“You would put another one of us in danger over this thief?” Shada demands, before Seth says, “Quiet. If Isis has foreseen this as the best route, we cannot argue it.”

“She favors the thief and--.”

“--and her prophecies have all come true,” the Pharaoh says, quieting Shada at least, “and it is through the Tauk that we see even the barest glimpses of what we must steer towards. Were it not for those powers, we would not continue to enjoy this peace.” He looked over at Mahaad, his red eyes serious. “I also know that it is best to send you because of the other power the Ankh, the Key, has. I do not ask you demand to see what Bakura has, but that you learn the truth. The _nekhekha_ is angry and demands vengeance, but I will not let it fly before we learn the meaning of Bakura’s anger.” He glanced at Shada. “Bakura is a member of the priests, and has proven himself. That he’s carried the Ring this long and whatever he has seen during the trial, that is what has driven him mad, and created this strife. We will discover what this is, and balance it out.”

Kalim, the often silent one who tended to side with Shada, was quiet before he slowly nodded, saying, “We need balance. Something is pushing against that, and if we don’t work quickly, it will not be restored. The Items guarantee our peace. We must ensure that the one chosen by the Ring is by our side, not against us. It will poison the Ring.”

Shada relents on his obvious discomfort, and Seth very obviously notices it but doesn’t speak on it, instead looking to Mahaad. “Go and calm Bakura, learn what has happened, and return to us. We will balance this out.”

Mahaad bows, the Key heavy against the rope on his neck, as he says, “I will do as you ask.” It will not take him long to prepare, and it will take him less time to get to the Necropolis, if he uses his powers right. He must, if he is to enter the tomb unnoticed, and calm Bakura from his pain and suffering.

 _I will have to call upon my_ swt _as well. I pray that Sakhmet will allow us time to at least bring her back, and let the Pharaoh and Seth calm her._

\--

Seth waits until after Mahaad and the others have left before he walks down, thinking of going to follow them, before his Pharaoh says quietly, “Seth, leave them.”

He glanced back at the other young man, finally kneeling. “I don’t like this.”

“I don’t either. Something has been itching at me, some doom that I cannot foresee but know will come, no matter what precaution we take.” He looked older, sadder, as he finally says, “I don’t like what secrets Siamun or Akhenaden are keeping either.”

Seth frowned at that, looking up from where he knelt, “What would they be hiding? Akhenaden is proud, and--.”

“He is proud, but he is controlled, and do you truly think he threw such a spell when he knows plenty of others that would not have hurt and enraged Sakhmet?” That got Seth to look down again, his loyalty to the man who had helped to prepare him for his role as a priest warring with what he’d seen and how the man had reacted to something, escalating it to the point of them now having to deal with an enraged Sakhmet and maddened Bakura.

The Pharaoh looks sad and tired, prompting Seth to slowly rise, saying, “You should rest, my Pharaoh. We will alert you when Sakhmet and the others return.”

He’s grateful when his Pharaoh doesn’t protest, instead saying, “I hate to ask you to remain at watch for me, but…”

“You are used to being watched over by lions, my Pharaoh. I will do my best to live up to that, and keep you safe.”

\--

It’s not hard to find Bakura, oddly enough, and it’s a sign of how upset the thief is that Mahaad is able to stand before him, the _swt_ hissing angrily at his face as Bakura sits on the outer coffin of the former pharaoh, looking angry, the wounds still on his skin and the Ring glowing faintly, an answering glow from his scar that made Mahaad frown as he waited, not moving despite the threat. He’d seen what the _swt_ could do, and he wondered if Bakura would kill him without any threats being shown.

“What are you doing here?” Bakura growled out, looking upset in the same way he always did when Mahaad finally found him after one of the older priests or others insulted him, early on in their friendship. Then, he hadn’t been in control of a _swt_ of this size or power, nor had he been mad on pain and anger from whatever the Ring had shown him. He’d been trusted by few and only now had enough hold to be considered their friends, but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t slip back into the old mentalities if he continued this attack.

“I came here to see how you were. Akhenaden attacked you, hurt you and Sakhmet. I was worried, but I had to speak to our Pharaoh first. He was upset with me for being harsh towards the old advisor for his insolence and for attacking another priest.”

Bakura appeared surprised at that, the snake _swt_ slowly coiling more around him than hissing at Mahaad. “You never were kind to him, even in the presence of…” he stopped, looking away and balling his hands into fists, the shimmer of gold more apparent. “He’s a liar. It’s his fault. All of this is his fault.”

Mahaad is quiet, watching Bakura as he began to shake, before asking, “You called us all liars and hypocrites. You didn’t attack the Pharaoh, but you’re here in his father’s tomb, and you went after Akhenaden. What is it that happened to make you so upset?”

The snake hissed again, coiled around Bakura, but not in a way that said it was attempting to control him. Instead, it looked to be protecting him, as Bakura said, “Why do you care? You’re one of the priests.”

“As you would have been as well...and as you can be still.”

Bakura snorted before Mahaad said, “The Pharaoh is upset with Akhenaden for attacking you when the situation could have been easily handled by talking, by understanding what it was that upset you so. He was angry at me for talking out of line, but he sent me _here_ because he knows that I can either speak to you, or ask you to let me see what happened.” He motioned to the Key, not moving close enough to touch it or even allow its power to work. “I am willing to hear you out, or speak to you in front of witnesses. I won’t use the power unless you come after me, with the intent to kill, and I will take your side on this, but you must tell me what you have seen.”

Bakura looks at Mahaad for a long moment, his _swt_ looking upset, before he finally slid off the coffin. He slowly walks over to Mahaad, close enough for either to use their power, and says, “Akhenaden created the Items...through a profane ritual that killed my family, and possibly the family of the one called Sakhmet. But while she gained three lesser Items somehow, I got this,” he motioned to his scarred cheek, “and now, I saw what has happened. He has created and continues to create an imbalance for _ma’at_. I saw this, I accepted the Ring and what it would do,” he once more motioned, this time to the prongs dug into his skin, “and I will kill that man.”

Mahaad slowly nods, accepting what he said, even though his mind was reeling from the information. Akhenaden had created the Items, of that they knew, and they also knew it was from the Millennium Tome, a book that no one else has seen. It’s likely that the method used created an imbalance, one that was now making itself known despite everyone’s attempts--

Mahaad suddenly remembered the old Pharaoh’s sudden illness, his continued insistence that he pray to all the gods, to give them favor, and that his son do so as well. He remembers how weak the man got, and how worried the current Pharaoh had been...but more importantly, he remembered how upset Akhenaden had been, and how the former Pharaoh had refused his company.

“Our Pharaoh’s father had no knowledge of this until shortly before you arrived,” Mahaad said, getting Bakura to glare at him as he continued. “He died suddenly, after going to as many temples as he could, after shunning Akhenaden’s offers of help, even _Siamun’s_ offers, and demanded his son keep _ma’at_. He did all he could to retain balance, and sacrificed his life for it. Bakura...the old Pharaoh knew, but I believe he only thought there was one survivor. If he’d known you were one as well…”

Mahaad’s voice trailed off as he felt the odd shift in the Shadows, slowly turning to look back as he saw the chimera walk out, the low growl of it nearly drowned out by its Master appearing, Sakhmet looking very much like the untamed one that was described by the older priests, when she first came to the palace and took up the Pharaoh as her _sebah_ , her star. It’s obvious the pain of the blast from Akhenaden and the events of the day before have taken their toll on her, not to mention finding Bakura in the tomb of the Pharaoh who took her in and gave her someone to protect.

“What are you doing here, Mahaad?” she growled out, looking at him with her normally tawny eyes ringed in red, the look one of murder she used to visit upon others in this area, those caught sneaking into tombs that she either let her _swt_ eat or disembowel, leaving them for jackals to deal with as she patrolled other areas.

“I came to calm down Bakura,” Mahaad said, “as your _sebah_ calms you. What he has told me is disturbing, and I wish to bring him back, alive, so that the Pharaoh and others might hear what he has to say.”

The chimera hissed as the sphinx shifted, Sakhmet looking angry at whatever they were saying but also calming a bit, as if the mention of her Pharaoh hearing of whatever injustice was done was enough to make her reconsider her path. “He called my _sebah_ a liar.”

“What he learned was very disturbing,” Mahaad said, hearing Bakura’s own _swt_ hissing at the chimera, returning the threats, while Bakura himself seemed upset with whatever was said or going on. “We believe it also has something to do with your own Items, and how you came about them. If what he saw and remembered is true, it will imply a great deal of things for us, and for the events of recent times.”

Peace had reigned, but nearly was thrown off, before the old Pharaoh had died. Now there was peace again, but for how long? If what Bakura said was true, that meant that Akhenaden had much to answer for, and too many others had been trying to cover for him for whatever purpose. Mahaad cannot think of why the old Pharaoh would give up himself in Akhenaden’s place, if he knew the evils done, or even had an inkling. Had it been guilt of allowing it to happen, or simply wishing to keep this secret away from all, even the Shadows?

Sakhmet is not known for taking things into consideration, which is why she is the flail, and Mahaad finally says, “We must return, for Seth is the crook and flail while you are gone, and the others are debating if they really want Bakura to remain. Please...what he has to say _must_ be heard by the Pharaoh, no matter how painful it is.”

She looks upset over the idea of causing her Pharaoh pain, but after another shift and glare at the huge snake _swt_ , she finally nods.

“I will take you both back, then. He will hear this.”

\--

The inner sanctum is too quiet, filled with shadows cast by the torches and natural light that streams into the place, and is dominated by a huge obelisk. Around them were the frescos and paintings of their history, of the events and powers that had lead them to where they had almost two generations of rulers, long-lived compared to the rabble, had peace and prosperity for their land.

And yet Akhenaden is unhappy as he kneels before the images, before the huge stone slab with the slow depictions of what happened, the top adored with a huge benu bird, crying out as the sun rises behind it, and around it, a gigantic serpent wrapped around the edge, rising and falling, with the scripture of the Dead on it’s back. Thus far, the inscription was about the reign of this current Pharaoh - the one for his father was in the tomb that had been hastily built after Akhenamkhanen had decided to sacrifice himself.

The thought made Akhenaden almost make a sound of anger in this sacred space, and he held it in as he focused ahead. He never should have let the thief get this far, though when he’d grabbed the Ring, Akhenaden’s problems had almost been finished. But now, the Ring was _the thief’s_ , not anyone else’s, and it would take a rather harsh act to pull the two away and slowly move things back to where they were, to the peace of Akhenaden being the one to watch over things and ensure the fragile balance between _duat_ and life that he’d managed to create. It would take even longer if he wanted to ensure his own lineage, not that of his weak brother, became the Pharaoh.

Then again, the thief’s madness could be used for his advantage. He’d expected their father to give Akhenaden to the priesthood, as the second son and one who was always more inclined towards the gods and towards keeping _ma’at_ , as well as ensuring peace no matter what was demanded. When Father had given him the Millennium Tome, ordering it to be translated, Akhenaden had thought only of protecting Egypt, and then of what the woman he’d been bedding had told him before she’d run from the palace and he’d found no way to order her back with his son.

Instead, he became to crook to his brother, and was tasked with finding the incantations and spells to grant them longevity, to protect Egypt from the Hittites and others, and to keep _ma’at_ within the world. He’d done this for his kingdom, to keep the line at Qadesh, and because he’d heard he had a son. As he studied the Tome, the thought of his son and of the kingdom dominated his mind, so that all that mattered was keeping the kingdom for his son, be he a commoner ( _no!_ his mind rejected that idea right away, _no, he will know his lineage, and gain his power, and become the Pharaoh should my weakling brother spill his seed or not_ ) or priest or even the highest of the land, the Living Horus who was strong in a way Akhenamkhanen was not.

What he found was a spell that would have allowed for so much and more, depending on how many were given to the spell, he didn’t hesitate to set up the ritual, picking the town within the necropolis area of Kul Edna, a known haunt of thieves and tomb robbers. Soulless thieves would only keep the magic to control those between life and Death for so long, and now, with seven bright souls holding lesser and greater Items, and the Rod becoming stronger than the Pendant...

 _Those two have the shine of_ that _gold to them, though. Three of them...the thief who gained station, the bitch who watched over the Necropolis, and now the Pharaoh…_

If they were given up, then one other of Royal Blood would have to take the place. As of now, that was Seth. No matter what, it would be Seth.

_My son...my son, my guilt and shame, the one I gave up because of all of this, because his mother took him from me. He is the next one who will gain the throne. All that needs to happen is for me to finally acknowledge him, beyond simply being my student._

_All I need to solidify this is to get him away from those two. From the Pharaoh and his watchdog…_

_I will need_ that girl.

He slowly shifted, standing and turning from the obelisk to walk a bit down, to where there was more ambient sounds, before speaking out loud, “Geblek.”

“Yes, my master?” the older man, hunched over and covered in a dark robe, asked as his withered hand held up a small torch, lighting the area he had been waiting in, near the entrance where servants were told to wait, for fear of punishment or death.

“Go to the house and get the girl out. It is high time we deal with the imbalance in _ma’at_ that the Thief and the Lioness have created.”

\--

It’s dark in the house, full of the children and loves of the priesthood. She doesn’t know why she’s here, besides the fact that someone thinks she’s important or worth the value that they paid for her. She’s actually grateful for the darkness - the heat and constant sun of the desert and empty sky above only means she’s more prone to burn or fall ill from lack of water, and with all of the people in the house in similar circumstances, they are not overly cruel to her. Some enjoy her talk and stories of her travels, others simply are grateful for her help.

When the troll, the old and withered man who sometimes came and demanded things, or children, from them, came in and pointed to her, Kisara froze in fear but managed to slowly get up and walk over, doing her best to stand tall and not shy away from the man. She would not let such a man see her fearful.

They end up being taken from the outskirts, nearing the desert she’d hidden in and been taken from, further into the city. The covered litter, carried by strong guards, cut a path quickly through the city and up towards the palace, where the Undying Pharaoh and his priests lived. The troll leered at her throughout the trip, but otherwise didn’t touch her. None of the ones under the command of the priest who owned that house touched the others, not after what happened to that one guard. For all the troll was an evil man, he did the job of his master, and that meant he wouldn’t hurt her. It also meant she didn’t have to speak to him, no matter if his station was higher than hers.

Kisara hopes that the others in the house are alright, and remembers that only a few of them come to this place. Few if any return, and those who do are not whole. The palace is rumored to be patrolled by evil things, the restless spirits of the dead who were sacrificed by the old Pharaoh, and that the one with the Eye, who can read minds and control them, turn people into mindless puppets for his own amusement, will call you so that you might sleep with the demonic things. She’d only seen the results of visits to the palace, even though she knew she’d been bought for other, darker reasons. That’s how it had been for years, since she came to this place.

Kisara steeled her resolve as they approached, thinking of the families and others in the house, or at the house near the Necropolis, the one protecting the huge stone sarcophagus, and the others a tomb entrance. Not protesting the works of the priests kept them safe, and their lines linked to the priests in some way or another. That meant they were important, and the priests always kept their children close, until the time for a new member to take up one of the Items and gain power and near-immortality.

The litter reaches the palace and they exit, Kisara slowly walking forward when the troll begins to grab at her, to pull her along so she wouldn’t dally, when they hear a deep, commanding voice demand, “Geblek, what are you doing?”

“M-Master Seth! I...I was simply--.”

The group, as one, turned and bowed. Kisara dared to look up, seeing a strange man standing before her, his dark skin having an odd, pale hue to it, and strange, blue eyes that bore into her, like the ones of that boy who’d rescued her years ago. She remembers that, and that the boy had been hurt afterwards. She doesn’t remember everything, but she knows he was named Seth as well.

The troll, Geblek, is stammering out something, but a slight motion is enough to set him silent. Seth looks at Kisara, catching her eye, then glances back to Geblek, not even commenting on her looking at him. “You were to be with Akhenaden. Why are you not there?”

“I was...asked to bring him a new servant. The old one--.”

“The Pharaoh does not indulge Akhenaden in his...choosiness, and I doubt he will do so now. If Akhenaden is dissatisfied, he can do as the Pharaoh does, and care for himself.”

The admission nearly floors Kisara. The Pharaoh has no servants? What had he done to the others?

“Go back to him, and report that we have news. Upon their return, we will call for Akhenaden.”

Geblek says something in an apparent attempt to pacify the priest, and quickly heads out as a new voice speaks up, this one cool and sounding tired. “Seth? What was that all about?”

“Something I wanted confirmation about for a bit, if the report we have is to be believed.” She managed to look up and see a man with dark hair that seemed to flare out like a star-shape, purple and gold shining through to show his station even more than the gold and other items that adorned him, the main one that draws her attention being the pendant on his chest, the Wadjet eye almost glancing at her before she managed to look down even further. The Pharaoh himself was here! What was to become of her for daring to look upon him?

“Woman, stand up,” the gruff voice of the priest called Seth said, getting her to straighten but not raise her eyes, for fear of what would happen if she dares that again. She hopes that they see her as obedient, and that they send her back to the house without any fuss or anger at her as they directed at Geblek for bringing her here.

“What is your name?” the priest asks, sounding curious. She swallows, not sure how much power they’d have over her with her name but finally tells him, “I am called Kisara, sir.”

Silence meets that, and the Pharaoh’s voice speaks up, “Kisara, do you know why you were brought here?”

“No, my Pharaoh, I only know that when we are called, we come. We all serve the Pharaoh and his priests.”

“Of that I am certain. However, I am more surprised that neither I nor the other priests ever heard of his service.”

She did look up then, surprised by the admission, and instead of looking at the Pharaoh, she found herself staring up into familiar blue eyes, aged since she last saw them, but with the same seriousness and wonder in them. He isn’t looking at her because of her hair, or pale skin. He’s looking at her because he’s rescued her again.

“Seth, I leave her in your capable hands, and those of Isis and the others, to speak to. When the others return and have given their report, I wish to hear of where she came from, and the others there, so we can work on balancing out the imbalances created by our wish to turn blind eyes to these things.”

The Pharaoh’s words seem to break the spell, Kisara looking down as she hears Seth say, “Of course, my Pharaoh. But will you--.”

“If I was unable to defend myself from simple things in my own house, Seth, do you not think that _she_ would be upset? I was taught as you were. Care for the girl, and let us start to push the Scales back into balance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would've added more about the priest's lineages, but in truth, getting to where Akhenaden goes power-mad was more important, as was understanding his motivation. I don't quite like how he's portrayed in the manga or anime, with his VERY SERIOUS CRIMES being shoved under the rug until confusing plot line of confusing and the area where there are at least four Bakura's running around. More of it will come up in the next chapter dealing with the past.


	6. Seen the Lights Go Out (Shizuka vs Hirutani)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shizuka, Varon, and Mai continue through the maze, and meet up with a changed Hirutani. On the mainland, Ren and Hinagata work to figure out the two secrets that have kept the others on Alcatraz, and Noa begins to finalize his own plans.

_The flames were everywhere/but no one really cared/It always burned up there before_

\-          Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway), Billy Joel

They’re not acting like he expected them to act. Even the constructs he’d reworked, after they’d fallen in, were malfunctioning. At this rate, his calculations were telling him he’d have to push for completion and he wouldn’t have the Big Five to play with while fixing up everything. He would still have what he wanted, not to mention he could easily rework the others as needed with minimal trauma after the necessary adjustments. No bothering with the issues that he had to when remaking the two that had once worked for Paradis, nor the added issue of the man who had somehow wandered into his world, scarred and feral. All he had to do was bring Seto to where he needed to be. The problem were the others and their inability to stay where they needed, or their constant searching for the others.

Things were far easier with large groups that could be directed and controlled. It was even easier with numbers and letters and all of the other things that made sense.

He glanced over at the two he’d managed to catch, frowning as he walked over to the female he’d managed to get when they all fell into the world that Father had created for him. He understands his need to use Mokuba, not to mention sees the appeal of having a younger brother around for him to play with. The girl, though, the one who was brash and rude, that he originally held for Hirutani...she interests him in a way that others don’t, making him frown as he tried to figure things out. What was this? He was better than this, better than base emotions, and yet this woman brought them up in her. He wanted her with them...if he had to keep Seto around in order to keep her, he didn’t see a reason why he shouldn’t if it meant keeping Seto from trying to fight back.

It was probably the mental readout he kept noticing for her, the sudden spikes of different waves that he’d never seen before, save in one other person. However, that data had to be corrupted, or there would have been a sign of another person walking around, separate from this girl. Yet there wasn’t any sign of that - instead, she was here, trapped with him, and the sudden dips or spikes made him have to devote more and more energy to ensuring she remained stable now that he’s put her where he can easily start working on manipulating her mind and creating a good place to trap Seto.

_The company, Father’s legacy, all of that is mine. Everything you are - your body and success, your abilities - all of those were promised to me, and all of those, I will have. Father gave them to me, and even if he didn’t plan for your uprising, your usurping of power, I will regain my rightful place, and bring KaibaCorp back from where you’ve taken it._

He frowns when a beeping sound catches his attention, having him bring up the screen. Ah...it appears that Alistair is damaged and in need of repairs. He’ll deal with that first, so catching the two that those ones were after will be easier.

_They’re already easier to handle, at least this way. I’ll have to see what happens later, when I finally get the rest of them and finish the tests. I’ll have to punish Oshita as well...that should be easy enough. After all, I don’t really need that house anymore, and reworking the coding to deal with a human mind requires a great deal of data to wrap it in. A water snake will be perfect for him, then, since the Five were so keen to try to take up elements as a dragon beforehand._

\--

Shizuka tells herself, for what feels like the thousandth time since she found herself in the huge, underground tunnel that supposedly was a replica of Pegasus’ castle, that she must be brave. She’s pretty sure that the others are here somewhere, but the whole place is dark and filled with odd symbols that make her feel frightened, holding the wood stick she found close to her as she creeps forward. She has to find Katsuye and the others, she _promised_ herself she would, and Katsuye has done so much for her. Her sister has done a great deal, and Shizuka feels the need to find her and make sure she’s happy after all of this.

She lets out a shriek, or almost does, when she runs into someone as she turns, Varon’s hand going over her mouth as Mai moves over to see how she’s doing. “Shizuka…are you ok?”

A slow nod as Varon finally lets go, the two holding a pipe and other item as Mai smiled at her, though the whole thing was shaky as she asks, “How did you get here? Did you see one of the Big Five?”

She nods again, swallowing and trying to not feel as afraid as she does. “I…they said it was Pegasus’ castle. I can’t…I don’t know if it’s…”

“No, it is,” Mai confirms, “but I’m confused how we got here. This whole place feels so odd.” She glances at Varon, who appears as confused as she is, before saying, “Come on. Let’s see what else we can--.”

The whole thing seems to turn, making them all stagger as the world shifts, the walls seeming to glitch out to show a wall with odd, light-lined blocks of black that appear only to lead around before the world changes again, the whole area seeming blurry, as if the world was now more like the way that Shizuka had sometimes seen things before the surgery, or on a grainy video of a game that was instead pushed down in resolution for some reason. It made them all pause, as Mai frowned and looked at the walls and the like before saying, “What’s going on?”

Varon looks like he’s surprised but also defensive, holding up the pipe he has as he mutters, “Don’t care, so long as it doesn’t happen again, or those blocks come back.” Shizuka shifted as she saw Mai look at the wall, as if trying to figure something out, before the older woman said, “Let’s get back outside.”

“Why?”

“Because I have an idea, and being underground in a maze isn’t going to prove anything,” Mai pointed out, Shizuka looking at the dark area before letting out a breath. They had to find Katsuye, and Mai was right. Being here, even if they were afraid, didn’t help them find her sister.

Varon is quiet, looking around, obviously worried and unnerved by something, before he nods. “Ok. Let’s go.”

The group start to move out of the underground labyrinth slowly, Mai and Varon moving her to between them as they try to head the way back and out, the whole thing making Shizuka feel claustrophobic and confused. If she focused on her other senses, as she had before the surgery, she thinks she can hear something, like a mechanical whirring and clicking sound seeming to become a strange background noise that she tried to pinpoint when they paused to look at a turn, only to realize it was coming from all around them – under, over, to each side. It surrounded them, and sounded like a giant computer attempting to keep cool or work, the whirring sound going up and down, down and up, as Varon started to move one way.

“Wait,” she said, getting Varon to stop as she glanced at the blurriness that she’d once been used to, the way the bricks had gone from realistic to almost like someone could no longer see right. She listened, finally closing her eyes to try to get a better idea of what was going on, to feel, but it was so _loud_ , and coming from all over.

“What?” Varon asked her after a long moment, getting Shizuka to slowly open her eyes as she looked to Mai and Varon, who were watching her carefully. She swallowed before saying to the two, “I can’t...there’s a strange sound, but it’s _everywhere_. Normally you can hear stuff working in just one area, or somewhere specific, but...it’s all over.”

“Meaning...what, we’re inside a huge...machine or something?” Mai asked.

“It would explain the way things are working,” Varon muttered and looking back at the area they were in versus the area behind and before them. “It’s low-res until we pass through the area.” He moved a bit away, the area between him and the two women starting to look less bright as he got further away. Running back caused the whole area to get loud, loud enough to get even Mai and Varon to wince at how loudly things got, though Varon only paused long enough to motion before the group began to run again, the machine sound growing louder as it attempted to work or do whatever it was trying to do. The whole thing started to get louder and louder as heat built up suddenly right before there was  a sudden, coughing stop and the dark area, along with the lit blocks they’d seen before, and emergency red lights along the floor, came on.

“Yes!” Varon said through clenched teeth, “I got it!”

“Great, we’ve got everything turned off, so what?” Mai asked, confused.

“So…this means the whole this is a simulation – a machine. It means--.”

“That you’re not really in a labyrinth. Obviously,” a new voice nearby got Shizuka to nearly let out a scream as a man walked out and into the red lights. Shizuka recognized him as the man who’d been holding Katsuye and saying she was his or something, and Mai seemed angry, holding the piece of wood up as she moved to get near Shizuka and defend her.

“Oh, don’t be such a bitch,” the man said, “I know my labyrinths well. I just happened to pick this one as mine after I got out of the one that kid threw me into while he took my queen away.”

“She’s not yours, Hirutani,” Mai growled out as Shizuka watched Varon move forward as well, his pipe raised just in case.

“Of course she is,” he muttered, stepping forward, getting a bit closer into the red light, enough for them to see him as Shizuka put a hand to her mouth, trying to hold in the scream as everyone slowly backed up. The man was the dark haired one who’d been holding onto Katsuye when she’d found her and Mokuba, but he was changed, sharp teeth showing as he gave them a lopsided grin. Out of his head, with blood dripping down the side of his head as twisting, dark horns grew out and up, the large, white bone horns grew out and up, the process obviously still continuing as he moved his head, looking like the feel was too heavy. “She’s mine. She’ll always be mine, no matter what any of those two say. The Kaibas don’t get to keep her. She was meant to be mine. I went through a labyrinth for her, and she will be mine, or I will not lead you all to the center and it’s master.”

Shizuka and the others were quiet, Varon watching the man as Shizuka heard the beginning of the machine start to wake up again, ticking and whirring like a computer starting up.

“We don’t have a choice, huh?” Varon growled out as more and more of the sound started, with Mai looking around worriedly as more heat began to fill in. At Hirutani’s nod, the trio slowly moved forward, Hirutani turning his head a bit to look at Shizuka briefly before saying, “Follow me” and taking them down a darkened path.

\--

They’d gotten the group in the plane to a hospital, and Ren had been seen to, insisting on not leaving despite what had happened and the fact that security had, after some debate and realizing what else was going on, had cuffed Hinagata away from the monitors and away from Ren. It didn’t make him feel better, though he also wished he was further from a monitor, as looking at any of them resulted in his head pounding, and once it’d resulted in him having to get the handcuffs changed after he’d attempted to escape and gotten his wrists red with blood. The new position let him hear what was going on, but not help out in a way that Hinagata might actually do some good. Of course, considering the headaches and blackouts and...and what happened with Ren...he was willing to allow himself to be trapped like this and help out in whatever way he could.

No matter what she said, Hinagata wasn’t about to forgive himself for hurting her in that way, though he hadn’t seen or heard what happened, and his memory was completely blank after he’d noticed the start of…something…going on after whatever had happened with the battle between the finalists. He knows that something seemed to have wrecked the computer system, and that Ren and the others had managed to isolate it from going too far, but that it was probably his fault.

Whatever had happened in that virtual world he’d been trapped in, it had left him as a damned mole and now it was attempting to take over KaibaCorp using now-defunct passwords and access points that were once used by the Big Five, though at the moment it was like Kogoro or even Oshito or someone similar, but things kept changing. It was like they were attempting to get control, or the person who was attempting didn’t know how to avoid the traps and like that Ren and the others were setting up. It was weird, and no one could really explain what was going on.

Hinagata wished he could, but he only had a guess that it was linked to the virtual world, the one that the elder Kaiba had locked him in after he’d discovered it. He knew the Big Five had gone there but not to the one where Kaiba Seto and the others had gone.  The information he got from the others, often written down, seemed to suggest that Kaiba Gozaburo had some other place, probably on Alcatraz Island, to hide out in. It explained why they couldn’t find the bodies of the Five, not to mention all the power and technology put into that place. So little was information on the place in the _official_ records, or at least on the electronic ones, that digging out the semi-official, paper copies was required.

Of course, Hinagata couldn’t trust himself to not destroy those if he saw them either. Whatever had happened to him, to make him go on those two rampages and hurt Ren in such a way, made him feel useless in helping figure things out. He wished he could at least talk about what was going on, or that they simply put him in a jail while Ren and the others fixed it. He’s not sure _what_ Ren thinks this will help, only that she believes it will, and that they might be able to figure out the weird things going on so they might rescue the few left on that damned island.

“Hinagata?”

He glanced over to where Ren was, trying to not look at the computer screens or anything else that might trigger whatever had caused him to attack her, and later attempt to attack the others and hurt himself. He can’t look at her, not without thinking about what he’d done to her.

“I think I might have some idea of what’s going on,” Ren told him, looking serious. He hated when she looked like that, like he was normal when what had happened resulted in her being so badly hurt. “It’s very confusing, though.”

“What does that mean?” Hinagata muttered, looking down as he heard her type and others moving through paperwork and the like. Why hadn’t she just let him go somewhere else, somewhere that would at least allow her to be safe, he isn’t sure, but telling him this isn’t going to help either.

“I mean it’s confusing because it makes no sense, because Gozaburo Kaiba hid a bunch of stuff before he hid you, and trying to figure out the timeline is really odd. It’s worse when I try to figure out where that woman came from!”

That got Hinagata to frown and actually look at her, confusion overcoming his fear of what would happen if he caught something on the screens nearby. “What woman?”

“The one who who’d been with Ishizu Ishtar and Jounouchi Katsuye,” Ren told him, “Layla Naunet, but I keep finding information about her from...freakin’ _decades_ ago. It’s worse than the confusing mixed-up stuff from the older Kaiba.”

That...didn’t make sense. “How many decades?” It was something he could help with - something outside of KaibaCorp that he could focus on. He trusted Ren and the others to do this.

She looked at him, obviously realizing what he’s thinking as she bites her lip, finally letting out a breath and saying, “The earliest information I found about her was from the early 19th century.”

Everyone is quiet as she adds, “And...and for this, it looks like Gozaburo Kaiba had a son. But I can’t find any information about his mother, or what happened to him before Gozaburo Kaiba adopted Seto and Mokuba Kaiba.”

He watched her before he said, his tone serious, “I can’t stay here...but I can check out a few paper records. I know that will let me get everything we need. It’s not just here, Ren, and you know that. Please...we have to figure this all out and get them off that island.”

\--

Shizuka is worried as they walk through the claustrophobic darkness, the sound of the machine labyrinth they were in now dulled or gone, along with the heat it was producing. She shivered again, rubbing her hands up and down her arms as she watched the strange monster that had once been a person who Katsuye was...intimate with? loved?...that had known her sister during a time when she’d been a different person. Shizuka somewhat knows about this time in her sister’s life, when times had been bad. She’s not sure what happened, as mother wouldn’t talk about it, she only knows that this person knew Katsuye during that time, and that she hadn’t wanted anything to do with him when they’d saw her, before coming into the odd labyrinth.

Varon and Mai are quiet as they walk beside her, but she can guess they’re trying to figure out what Hirutani’s plan is, or a way to escape if they need to. They stop before long and the darkness disappears a bit, once more showing them in a place that looks like those virtual reality places, the lights along the bottom of each block glowing blue and showing where pillars and the like appear.

“Here,” he said, turning his whole body to look at them, his massive horns an obvious weight on his head. “This is outside the mansion.” He paused and looked around, the only small sounds of a machine going making him as uneasy as Shizuka. “I’m not sure what that bastard is up to, but it seems like he’s only powering a few places.”

“Considering how trapped we were in the mansion he built, I’m not surprised,” Varon pointed out, obviously annoyed, “the question is why trap us? And what did he do to the other two that were with you?”

That question seems important to Varon, as Shizuka recalls those two had been his...friends, she supposes...while Hirutani considers the answer to that question, apparently uncertain himself. “I don’t know.”  
“Bullshit.”

Hirutani growls at them, the sound more animalistic than human, and repeats, “I don’t. When we all fell, I went back into the labyrinth. When I came out, it was like this. There are others, but few….people. I can smell those,” he drew in a breath, away from them, and then looked back slowly. “There’s only three others in this whole place who are people.”

“I’m hurt,” a new voice caused them all to freeze, Varon and Mai turning to try to shield Shizuka as Hirutani looked over at the person. “You say we’re not real?”

A hissing sound near Hirutani made him turn, growling low in his throat as something odd, a man-shaped shadow with a long tail, started to move near them.

“Do you like it, Varon?” the voice from before asked, but it was off, and Shizuka shrank back to near Mai as she saw the man finally, part of his face gone to reveal circuitry instead of blood and bone, “We finally have a leviathan. Wouldn’t Dartz be proud to know all he had to do was find Noa-sama, and he could’ve been the leviathan we wished upon the world?”

Varon didn’t bother to glance at the shadow of the hissing thing, keeping his eye trained on the machine-man and with the pipe he held raised in a defensive position. “No offense, Alistair, but that’s a pale imitation. I’m sure whoever had their code messed with is _so_ happy to hear it.”

The hiss turned into something like a scream, the human voice in it making Shizuka want to cover her ears, as Alistair seemed to pause, listening, before looking back at Varon. “I’m supposed to go back, but I will deal with you first, traitor.”

“Like to see you try, you couldn’t even beat me as a human, what makes you think this time is different?” Varon egged on with a smile, even though Shizuka could hear fear in his voice. Hirutani was facing off against the other monster in the shadows, and Shizuka looked between the two groups, her own fears coming up quickly as she thought about what she might be able to do. She hadn’t been very athletic, even before the operation and all that was going on, but she wanted to help somehow. She couldn’t keep hiding.

_Katsuye made her mistakes but she’s moving forward, finding herself a way to live, and she has Kaiba-san to love her, no matter her flaws. I can’t allow myself to just be weak all my life because that is what I was told! I have to help!_

Something seemed to fill her at that thought, as if the darkness that Hirutani had brought was now responding to her. She heard popping sounds, like lightbulbs bursting, and for a moment, she could see the snake-thing near Hirutani, the torso and head of a man that was morphed and warped into that of a snake, blood-like water falling from him as he flailed, hissed, and screamed. The man called Alistair had been replaced, and she saw inside the machine, blood and organs and a brain that was being probed, and another, larger thing, watching them all.

She screams at what she’s shown, holding tightly onto Mai as the voices seem to disappear as Shizuka feels the darkness from the maze that Hirutani had been in seem to focus on her, trying to show her what is going on, the center of the maze that isn’t really one, just a confusing move that twists and throws them back to the same spot, and she shivers at seeing it, but also realizing one other thing. The person in charge of the maze is changing things, and something dangerous is coming up from it. It makes Shizuka shiver again before the darkness suddenly pulls in, seeming to come into her hands, creating a large ball that feels like yarn, the familiar feel reminding her of the time when Katsuye had taught her how to knit and crochet, even though her older sister was better at sewing. It was something to do, and the patterns didn’t always require her to see to know what she was doing, to create a pair of gloves or socks.

The ball is dark, so dark that it feels like it’s just absorbing light like a black hole, and she suddenly sees the way, the best way, through to the next level, and closer to Kaiba-san and Katsuye. She swallows and turns to look over at Mai, who is watching Varon but still holding onto Shizuka, while Hirutani looks at her with a strange look in his eyes. Shizuka looks back down at the ball of black-dark yarn, noting a stray thread, before pulling at it and letting the ball drop, the thread wrapping around her finger before it rolls off and out, a bit further out as Alistair seems to notice it, starting to move after it right before the ball stops and something steps out of it, growing larger as it does, a large claw casually swatting at Alistair, ripping huge lines into his clothing and skin as it finally emerges.

It’s a sphinx, or something like that, with a face like Mona Lisa, only with a mouth full of lion’s teeth as it roars at the snake-man who had once been one of the Big Five, the roar a combination of a human and lion’s voice as it went after the man-snake, the snake twisting, as if uncertain how to attack as it let out another human-like scream, Varon moving to swing again at Alistair as the machine thing came closer, attempting to get at the sphinx as it tore into the writhing man-snake-thing while Hirutani growled at it all, looking back at Shizuka with a sudden and deep anger.

“That’s _my_ power! Not yours! You will not be the Ariadne. I won’t let you become the Mistress of the Labyrinth!”

Shizuka is still holding the piece of yarn, or whatever the material is, and as he charges her, head lowered like a bull’s, she turns, and wraps the thread around him before leaning back and pulling. Mai, the wood held like a bat, swings at Hirutani as he passes Shizuka and comes within range, striking him hard against the head as the darkness in the yarn suddenly wraps around him, tightening, and he begins to choke and struggle.

Alistair lays where he fell after the last bash, and Varon manages to look over just as Hirutani falls as well, landing heavily as the yarn started to thicken and tighten around him, Shizuka letting go and racing towards the ball of darkness as Mai runs over to him, and the group follows the dark ball as it rolls away, leading them deeper into the fortress.

\--

Noa Kaiba glares at the monitor and quickly moves to check on the others. He’ll have to send out Rafael to get Alistair now, and the repairs will take up more of the energy he’s been using to track down the other Big Five. Apparently, one of them realize what was going on, and now at least two are missing in the machine, and one is attempting to hide in the kingdom that Noa gave him.

“You’re not playing  by the rules,” he growled out, amazed at how he feels. He’s _angry_ , though it’s not surprising. Whatever had killed Konosuke had not been something he could really register, and Hirutani shows signs of a transformation that Noa certainly didn’t put on him, not to mention he appeared to be fighting and dying against some other entity.

The monitors on Jounouchi Katsuye’s pod beeped suddenly, signaling another odd change in her mentality. He glanced over at it and waited, seeing what might come, and when nothing did, he smiled. Well, at least she was still in the world he created. All he needed was Seto, and he’d have a family ready. A younger brother who adored him, and he’d have Seto’s woman as well. Noa wasn’t sure what he’d do with her, to be honest. It made no sense that Seto would risk so much for some woman that appeared capable of handling herself. He almost wants to just throw her in with the rest, see how they handle it.

The report of the power loss due to his changes makes him sigh. Alistair he can fix, at least, but the Big Five?

“You don’t want to play this game, then _fine_ ,” he muttered to the monitor currently displaying the three racing after whatever they’d seen, possibly just going blindly further into the interior, closer to where he was keeping Kaiba busy, “we’ll stop playing, and start getting _serious_.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for how long it took me to get out this chapter, but...the end of last year decided to hit me, and hit me hard, with a lot of personal issues. As such, I didn't get a chance to really focus on the stories until recently. Amazing what Amanda Palmer music can help with.
> 
> Thank you all for your patience.


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